


Salt Skin

by Skainsmate



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hydra is a problem as always, I am pretty much just winging everybody's personalities, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post CATWS, Reader has mutant abilities, Reader is going to be a bit shy, Slow Build, Tony Stark Has A Heart, dont sue me, pre age of ultron, reader has an extreme case of amnesia, reader is def a scaredy-cat, reader is female, violence is abundant please keep that in mind, warning tony stark has a potty mouth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-05-10 14:29:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5589730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skainsmate/pseuds/Skainsmate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of The Winter Soldier, Captain America continued his duties as an active member of the Avengers despite the lingering regrets with Bucky Barnes. Still unable to find his long-lost best friend, he is summoned on an important mission in Dubai, where he meets up with Tony Stark and the rest of his team, to apprehend another recently discovered HYDRA facility. </p><p>What they don't know is that HYDRA had been housing another project, secretly building up arms despite the helicarrier incident. The center of the program is yet again another superhuman, but is she exactly who she seems to be? Is she the backup plan to the failed Winter Soldier experiment?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Assuaged

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my attempt to release an idea that has long since taken up residence in my thoughts. Plot still needs to be worked out, but I have the skeleton of the first few chapters outlined clearly enough! Enjoy what I have here, my writing will (hopefully) get progressively better as the story advances!

He probably shouldn’t be taking another drink, but the lady passing out the champagne glasses made him swoon. She gave him a small winkーGod, those eyelashes were longーbefore moving onto her next victim. Handing out the wine and the various alcoholic beverages, sashaying her hips, teasing, as if knowing eyes were on her assーthe eyes of Tony Stark included. The billionaire jarred himself out of his meandering thoughts, for those kinds of things would be… Distracting. Or at least hurtful to his mission (which he didn’t quite understand anyways). 

Tony was currently in Dubai, a city that was apparently filled with successful business owners and tech developers like himself. It was Pepper’s idea to ship him off here, however, saying things like, “It’ll be good to get to know some fellow billionaires, Tony,” and, “These guys can provide you with investments to place the Stark company at the head of international technological relations” but he took it as another way of getting him out of the work room - where he spent most of his days, and especially nights, working on projects and furthering schematics. It kinda pissed him off, now that he thought of it, how Pepper could somehow trick him out of doing the things he actually wanted to do. Even more so now that they weren’t officially together anymore.

That, he decided, was a story for another day.

Sighing, he brought the glass to his lips and tipped it until the liquid burned down his throat. The last time he was in this part of the world, things went a little bit on the… Explosive-y side. He hoped that he could talk to the people he needed to talk to, get some handshakes, and get the hell out. Besides, he was a different man from before. Socializing and keeping up an image was still a strong part of him, but ever since becoming a part of the Avengers Initiative and donning the suit of iron, it had left him preoccupied. He glanced around the room, and already he saw a few of the world’s most famous business tycoons - sipping their drinks and merrily chit-chatting. 

Ugh, it was so boring. He was tempted to smash through those massive windows and just drop fifty stories from the high-rise building. Pepper knew what was coming the minute she mentioned this to him. Of course she wouldn’t attend a snooze fest like this! She only did it to torture his already hypersensitive and impatient mind. God damn, that woman is going to kill him.

Stomaching another bout of annoyance, he finally managed to get his legs moving and approach one of those men. What was his name again? Willis? Davis? Something like that. Maybe. He’d have Jarvis check up on the background details later when he was actually in his hotel and snuggled all nicely in his jammies. 

Just as he was about to grit his teeth and shake the man’s hand, his phone vibrated three times in the right pocket of his designer dress pants. It made him pause. Three times of repeated vibration.

That meant trouble. 

He quickly whirled around before Willis/Davis could notice and took long strides towards a quieter part of the room, slipping his phone out and smirking.

“What’s up, Capsicle? Miss me so much that you needed to call me just to hear my lovely voice?” He answered jauntily.

Tony was immediately met with a huff. “Now’s not the time for joking, Tony,” Captain America’s voice rang out, “we’ve picked up on some stuff in your immediate vicinity so we’re on our way. Stay put until we get there.” He raised a dark eyebrow. This was a first. Since when did Cap actually believe Tony was going to stay put? 

“Whoa, hold up mister. You meant to tell me that and just hang up? Nuh uh, I’m stuck at the lamest convention I’ve ever been to, dressed up in one of my most pinching suitsーI’ll have  
you knowーhaving to endure conversations when I could be working on my projects, just for you to get me excited about a mission and then have me wait?”

The billionaire heard another sigh, as expected. “Look,” he started again, “send me the coordinates and I’ll get there a bit earlier, maybe I’ll get ahold of some more information that way.”

“No.” Cap instantly replied. “You don’t understand, Tony. It’s a HYDRA facility, recently discovered under radar. You cannot go there alone, and that’s an order.” A sudden sharp laughter drew his attention across the room as Steve spoke, and he realized that talking on his cell phone about a major, evil, we-are-going-to-dominate-the-world organization at this sort of a gathering wasn’t very acceptable. He drew his hand across his face and nodded to himself, already scooting his way past the small throngs of people and heading towards the elevator. 

“Alright. At least send me the details of your location and I’ll meet you there.”

 

******

Tony wasted no time in getting to his suite and assembling his armor. He strode onto his spacious balcony overlooking the rest of the city. The wind tousled his dark hair as he clicked in his password on his suitcase, providing his thumb fingerprint for the bio-scanner as well. As the metal clanged and continuously formed around him, JARVIS greeted him per usual. “Hello, sir. I take it the convention went well?”

“Ugh, no. Send Pepper a message about the numerous times I gagged while listening to their toasts.” The collar of the suit finally set itself up around his neck, and as soon as the face clamped down around him, JARVIS brought up the coordinates that Cap had sent him moments before. “Message sent, sir. Just an update on this newly discovered HYDRA facility…”

Tony geared himself up for flight, taking a few steps onto the balcony before finally dropping off into the air. “... It appears that it is a research building. Radar detected several underground workings, along with numerous rooms. Some data was hacked, and although the security program is difficult to break, the topics in the data found were biological and technological in nature.”

Iron Man huffed, “Great. Research and HYDRA should never be in the same sentence together. Last time this happened we had the Winter Soldier Program to deal with.” His propulsors kicked into gear, rocketing him south from his hotel building. “JARVIS, I want you to run me up all the data you can scavenge signal-wise. Once I get in there I’ll have enough access to their central system so we can finally insert that virus we’ve been wanting to use.”

“On it, sir.”

The moon was high and full in the sky as he flew off into the desert, the lights of Dubai well beyond him now. The lone highway leading from the city was a deep contrast to the sand surrounding it, its gray tint very noticeable, even in the dim light. The Avengers jet was an even bigger eyesore. For this reason, he might have never needed the coordinates, since he spotted the glint of metal even in his high altitude. That, he noted, was a major problem. 

Taking a sharp right turn, he descended towards the jet, the sand kicking up from his propulsors as he neared. Once his feet were solidly placed atop the fluid surface, he flipped his visor off and immediately waved a hand in front of his face to get the pesky dust away. 

Captain America stood on the ramp of the plane, his arms crossed and body tense as he watched Iron Man land. “Took you long enough,” he said teasingly, “was beginning to think you stopped to build sandcastles.” Iron Man’s face lit up in mirth, letting out a short laugh. “Oh, you wish, Cap, you wish. But, nah, I'm sure you guys miss me enough anyways.”

Steve rolled his eyes in complete disagreement and led him back into the plane, where the ramp closed right after Tony. The metal of the Iron Man suit clanged on the floor of the jet as they both made their way into the main cockpit, but by the time he entered, the body had slipped itself off and stood obediently beside him, following along. 

“So, anyone care to tell me why the plane is smack in the middle of an open desert with no sort of cover around it? I mean, do you know how easy it would be to find you guys?” He questioned the Avengers, all of whom were battle-ready and hunched together around a table. 

Steve stood at the front, taking a glance out of the pilot’s window. “We know, but we had no other choice but to stop here. The sand dunes were large enough to cover us from HYDRA’s sight anyways, and that’s all that matters here.” 

Tony didn’t say anything right away. He felt like whatever they were going to tell him about the mission wouldn’t be pretty, so he decided to tip-toe verbally around Cap. His agitation was obvious. The darkening glint in his eyes and furrowing brows could be read by anyone, let alone by the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. 

Hell, he only noticed just nowーBruce was twiddling with his glasses, Clint was taking apart one of his arrows, Natasha was playing with a strand of her hair - the only person in the room who appeared the slightest bit at ease was Thor, who leaned back in his chair and rested his arms behind his head.

Nobody else furthered Steve’s response, so Tony dropped it and walked closer to the mission plans. As his eyes flew over the data, his hand went up and tapped the screen, bringing up a 3D outline of the facility. “This thing is fucking huge,” he breathed, mostly to himself, his finger dragging through the height of the projection, “how could it have slipped our radar until now?”

Natasha chewed absently on her lip, “We suspected it’s new, satellite sweeps of area showed that there was no such compound here a year ago.”

“So, what? It sprouted overnight?” Clint asked, giving the fellow assassin a look. The sound of beeping interrupted them as JARVIS brought up more data on the hologram. Tony furiously sped through it with flicks of his finger. 

The situation turned grim, and now Tony wasn’t so sure about it being a “get-in, get-out” sort of assignment. This HYDRA facility wasn’t even a building. It was underground; a system of highly complex passageways, elevators, rooms, and levels. The main compound was narrow and tubular and consisted of thirty seven floors, and if that wasn’t enough, there was at least two exits to each room - hallways that led to other rooms and other hallways. 

Tony swallowed heavily.

“So I’m guessing this is the mother load, isn’t it?” The billionaire finally spoke up. 

Steve more or less shrugged, looking perplexed himself. After all, it had been him that participated in the demolishment of many of the previous HYDRA facilities, so he must’ve thought most, if not all, had been eradicated. 

“Fury called us all in earlier today,” Clint said, scratching his head, “told us that this building held something really dangerous.”

“A weapon?” Tony questioned, looking amongst the faces around him.

“No,” Bruce spoke up, shifting uneasily. “Fury said it might be a person.”

The billionaire froze. “Wait,” he rubbed at his ear, “a person? What does that even mean?” Steve suddenly took deep interest in his shoes and Tony muttered a swear. “Oh, shit, don’t tell me this is another Winter Soldier thing again, is it? Could they have made more of the serum?”

“We don’t know, and Fury doesn’t know either. We can only hope that they didn’t use another person to substitute for… What they lost.” Natasha finished. Steve visibly blanched in response. 

Tony slowly drew his hand over the map of the building, observing hit points. It would be impossible, he concluded, to even attempt a frontal attack, or even sneak in and plant enough explosives without getting caught. JARVIS pulled up satellite footage for him earlier, and it was through the images that he saw the singular entrance. 

He met everybody’s eyes before clearing his throat and glancing back at the image.

“One way in,” he focused on the entrance, “one way out.”

******

With a sharp ringing sound, a flash of white spread across her eyes, drowning her vision in a swarm of light and colors. There were muffled voices, disembodied, floating carelessly around her earsーjust out of reach for her to comprehend them. The ringing only worsened; her heart started to painfully throb in her chest, the pressure increased in her forehead, and now she felt like her own body was tearing itself in two.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. Her vision returned, but her own mind was so unfocused and disoriented that the only things she could make out were moving gray shapes.

“ーfirst attempt incomplete, sir,” a voice echoed.

Somebody replied, but she couldn’t make it out clearly. 

“Increase power…” a sudden grip to her arm jolted her into focus. She attempted to move her head forcibly, but a metal contraption restrained movement. Panicked, she wreathed futily, finding that clamps held her wrists and ankles in place.

“Restrain her, godammit! We can’t waste any more time on her!” The voice was clearer now, but unfamiliar. 

A pricking sensation soon traveled up her arm. Soon enough, her mind had begun to swim once more.

Whoever these people were, they were drugging her. Drugging her and hurting her.

There comes a time, she had initially believed, that people resort to instincts when their lives are in danger. When morality and sensibility are exchanged for a deep, primal, and ancient fight-or-flight system of survival. It was in this moment that she became an animal.

She wanted to claw, rip, and shred these people to pieces. She didn’t know who they were, but the emotion was enough for her to rattle the entire contraption, send the man falling back, and forcibly attempt to remove her wrists from their restraints.

It didn’t last long, however. She was met with the pain again, the blinding light and the disorientation. This time, it was worse. It thrummed through her body and choked her, gripping her body in a vice, and slowlyーagonizinglyーthreading the pain into every fibre of her being. 

The ringing sound continued, at intervals. She realized, then, it was only the sound of her screaming. 

 

******


	2. Tony Is Beginning to Hate the Number Thirty-Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * sorry for the delay on this one!! school caught up on me and I had some trouble finding the time to write more. however, to make up for it, this chapter is significantly longer than the last. glancing back to the first chapter, I was so happy to have received some uplifting comments and kudos!! thank you all so much!! I was so excited that I just had to get this next one up for you guys as soon as I could, so excuse any minor typos and such.
> 
> * that being said, the Reader is finally going to have their appearance again. I don't really know which route I'm going to take concerning their gender, so I leave that up to you guys. comment below and let me know how much I should detail him/her/they. 
> 
> * enjoy!

_We’re going to be fine. Totally fine._

Tony’s thoughts rambled in his head as he slowly inched his way along the wall, trying to keep close to the super soldier ahead of him. Steve wasted no time in progressing through the levels of the complex, snaking around the corners and dispatching the numerous HYDRA guards that appeared. With the help of Tony Stark’s convenient hacking skills, the security footage of the entrance, as well as the entirety of the complex, were currently looping in an endless stream of video. He estimated that it gave them at least a hour and a half to reach the lower levels before the hostiles noticed.

The plan they were currently executing was the result of about ten minutes of deliberation. Not like they could’ve spent much time figuring out how to take down this behemoth of a facility anyways, since daylight was fast approaching and the cover of the sand dunes wouldn't hold very long against the massive Avengers jet. For this to work, the entire mission had to based upon stealth, so most of their firepower was left behind at the planeーBrucie and Point Break of course. Black Widow, the Captain, Iron Man, and Hawkeye were to be the ones to get in, find the secret weapon, steal any data from HYDRA, kick ass, plant a virus, and get the hell out. If the situation went from bad to worseーwhich he felt like it mightーthen they’ll fight it out tooth and nail.

There wasn’t much room for error, and in large facility like this, Tony couldn't help but imagine all the ways the mission could go wrong. They had no idea what they were going to find on the bottom floor of this godforsaken place. Fury hadn't even mentioned what they were going to do if this weapon, or whatever it is, attacks them. If it was anything like the Winter Soldier, then they were sure in for a rough ride.

“ーIron Man, are you listening? This is no time to be spacing out,” Black Widow’s voice scolded roughly in the comm. She was currently scouring the other side of the facility with Hawkeye, searching for a control room of any sort.

“Yeah, sorry,” Iron Man muttered, taking a quick glance behind him at the dark corridor. “This place gives me the willies.”

The Captain scoffed. “You already chickening out, pal? We haven’t even reached the tenth floor yet.” Tony growled and glared at the back of the Captain’s head, shouldering his rifle. “ I feel naked without my armor on, at least you have your fancy shield.”

The super soldier didn't reply, but Iron Man knew he rolled his eyes.

“Okay ladies, calm your bickering. I think I’ve hit the jackpot here.” Black Widow spoke up.

“What do you got?” Cap asked, his finger pressed up against his ear as he slowly rounded another corner. A grunt and a thump was heard from Widow’s end, probably another guard taken down, Tony deduced.

“Computer. I'm plugging in the USB now. I’ll try to extract as much data as I can.”

“Roger, keep an eye out. Iron Man and I are approaching another stairwell, report in five minutes, over.”

And a stairwell it was. The two of them had been heading down the same kinds for the past eight floors. Unlike any other underground building, HYDRA had built the staircases so that you had to cross a room to get to the other. A person couldn’t ascend several floors either, you had to take them one at a time. This was most likely to increase security, but Tony thought it only increased how much of a pain in the ass it was to navigate.

The floor progressed as usual. They stuck close to corners, and out of sight of guards until the last second. Cap butted the first one in the head from behind with his shield, and Iron Man kicked another in the stomach, slamming the side of his rifle into his head to properly knock him out cold. He was itching to just press the button on his suitcase and blast everyone to bits, but he had to restrain himself. Besides, he thought Cap would want to do that more than him.

He glanced at the super soldier, Steve’s face betraying an emotion Tony couldn't exactly pinpoint. His boot nudged at the fallen guard, and he let out a breath. “What is it?”

The Captain took a look around. “I don't have a good feeling about this.”

Iron Man shrugged. “Well that makes that two of us.” The room was silent as they stood observing. It was rather unsettling, now that he thought of it, how quiet it was. Some machines beeped, there was a muffled hum surrounding themーthe gray walls only seemed to add to the monotony. The confrontations they had so far were only minor guardsーcomplete amateurs with insufficient weapons.

“But,” he reminded. “how many times have we been in this kind of situation, huh?” Tony quirked an eyebrow.

Captain America couldn’t help but smile; it was faint, but it was there. “You're right,” he said, securing his shield, “let's just keep moving.”

The two had descended several more floors, uninterrupted for the most part. As they progressed, however, Iron Man noticed the walls changing in design. The lower they went, it seemed, the darker gray they would get. They were still the same hexagonal shapes, but the metal that they were made up of seemed lackluster. Once they finally got to the thirtieth floor, the numerous rooms and hallways finally gave away into long corridors.

Suddenly curious, Tony tapped his comm, “Yo, Hawkeye,” he waited a moment for the assassin to respond.

“Yeah?” The man’s voice sounded muffled when he responded (probably scuffling around in an air vent).

“You and Black Widow are closer to the top than me and Cappie are, can you contact Banner for me?”

Hawkeye agreed to his request just as Steve protested his new nickname of “Cappie.”

“Shut up, you know you like it.”

No, actually, I don'tー” Steve’s complaint was interrupted by Hawkeye.

“Uh, Captain? Iron Man? Banner has suggested you pick up the pace a bit.”

The two glanced at each other in confusion as Cap pressed a finger to his ear, his shield ready and solid in front of him as they continued to progress down the hall. “What's the situation?”

Before Hawkeye could say anything else, the corridor suddenly darkened to a low, red light, and the shrill of an alarm traveled soon after to their ears.

Tony sighed. “Does that answer your question?”

The Captain didn't respondーhe couldn't. They took off running down the corridor, attempting to outrun the doors that were violently shutting behind them. “We got company!” Tony shouted, seeing the HYDRA guards file in perfect line from the end of the hall, guns locked and ready. Deciding it was now or never, Tony pressed the button on his suitcase and discarded his rifle, finally assembling his Iron Man armor and storming ahead to take out the hostiles.

Captain America held his shield in front of his face and barreled straight into the line of fire, promptly catching up to his comrade and throwing punches. The bullets ricocheted mercilessly off his shield, catching some of the hostiles by the limbs. They had no time to waste on them, however, because the hallways were becoming sealed off behind them, creating a barrier of more than thirty solid steel doors. They're really taking this up a notch, Tony grimaced, bringing his hand up to fire a blast into the remaining soldier.

Cap dashed madly towards the end, his hand to his ear. “Avengers! Report! What is going on up there?” Breathless, he pauses by the exit to the next stairwell, keeping a close eye out for any more of HYDRA. Iron Man scanned the floor below him, JARVIS pointing out a scanner to him that he could access. Half-listening to Cap’s instructions, he tapped the screen of the small module next to the doorway and attempted to override the security system once more.

Another voice spoke up on the comm, “They caught on, the tape failed to distract them.” It was Bruce.

Cap turned towards Iron Man. “I thought you said it would be well more than an hour before they did!” The man held up his metal hands, “I thought so too! We were careful, and made sure to keep our attacks quiet,” he typed furiously on the machine as JARVIS brought up more data for him, “maybe they knew we were here all along and decided to trap us on the lower levels.”

The blond made a face and flinched slightly when the final door closed. The two were now stuck in the small room between the corridor and the next stairwell. “Can you do something?” He asked.

Tony didn’t answer for a moment, distracted by the screeching alarm, it was only when Cap entered the stairway and repeated his question (in a much sterner tone, he noted) that he looked up briefly. “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Just give me a goddamn second…” The machine blared a warning and then also began to have a melt down. Tony groaned in frustration but was unable to access any more information. He tried again, pressing keys and even moving to take out his USB so that he could just...

Before he could do anything more, everything went to shit.

Suddenly, and without any warning, the door in front of him slammed shut, trapping Cap behind. Simultaneously, the doors opened to the right and left of him, revealing a mass of HYDRA lackies, all masked and pointing their weapons at him.

“Iron Man! Whats going on?!” Cap’s words didn’t even fly out of his mouth before the chaos erupted. Blasters fired, bullets wizzed, explosions boomed. The cramped space was now filled with flying bodies and smoke, all the result of multiple guns firing and Iron Man’s own repulsors firing at a rapid rate.

“God--” Tony felt his hand crush the bones in one of the soldier's faces as he punched him, the force knocking him into another, “--little bit busy for a discussion here, Cap! Just go without me!”

Tony knew he would hesitate, he just knew it. He couldn't see where Spangles was, but he for sure took his silence as an action. “Just go! We have no more time!”

“Don’t do anything stupid here, Stark.” The Captain yelled into the comm, skipping steps as he hurdled down the stairs.

Tony smirked, the remainder of the enemies meekly standing up and readying their guns once more. Iron Man's chest glowed with that familiar light as he drew himself to his full height.

“No promises.”

 

******

_Before the mission had started, Steve was wandering beside the ramp of the plane, pacing back and forth in that usual manner of his. Tony watched him for a second as he approached, his steps slowed as he attempted to sort out the thoughts in his head._

_“You know, I’m pretty sure that it's not another super soldier.”_

_Steve let out a long sigh, one that sounded like he had been holding it in for a while. He stopped pacing, instead moving to cross his arms again. He didn't look up from the floor. “I was also pretty sure Bucky was dead, and look where we are now.” He quipped._

_Ouch, he wasn’t expecting him to be that blunt._

_The billionaire looked content with staring at the metal plating on the ground, his lips pursed. He shrugged, deciding to go with what he planned to say. “Capsicle…” he stated slowly, “I know everything has been tough with Bucky and all, and you still want to make HYDRA pay for everything they’ve done…” Tony’s forehead prickled like he was being watched and he looked up to find those furious blue eyes staring right at him._

_His own pair met the other’s levelly, knowing this was the only way to get the big guy to listen. “They rightfully deserve it, but that doesn’t mean that we can get after each and every person responsible, that’s just not realistic.”_

_Steve shifted uneasily and appeared to be thinking again, the crease deepening between his brows. Tony spread his hands outwards, “Whatever happens down there, happens. This person could be just like Bucky, or maybe, they’re worse, so we can’t take any chances. You know what HYDRA could make people do. Maybe we can get some information about the Winter Soldier from all this too, so don’t just go busting everything up.”_

_A heavy silence permeated between the two, and Tony was just beginning to think he just made the super soldier angry when Steve’s lips curled upward. Despite how much Stark irritated him sometimes, he still managed to find a good friend in him -- one that honestly cared for his personal well-being. He appreciated the action enough to chase away the dark thoughts he previously harbored. Moving away from the ramp, he stood in front of the other Avenger and clapped him on the shoulder._

_“You know I wouldn’t act that reckless, Tony,” he assured, tilting his head slightly, “after all, I’m the one that usually has to clean up YOUR mess. I’m not looking to switch roles now.”_

_Stark laughed, glad that his friend seemed to come back to his senses. “Yeah, yeah. Just remember,” he waved a finger at him, “I pay for all your fancy toys.”_

_With smiles on their lips and tensions eased, the two headed back into the cockpit, ready for their final debriefing._

Captain America now recalled the conversation clearly, standing at the entrance to the thirty-seventh floor. A rush of blood pounded in his ears as he tried to catch his breath. Whatever was behind this door, he’d now have to face it by himself.

Clint and Natasha were currently making their way down the vectors to reach Tony, who was still blasting his way through HYDRA guards. In order to override the doors, Iron Man had to be able to do his thing without being distracted. And while Thor and Bruce (who had now Hulked out by the Asgardian's reports) took care of the hostiles on the outside, all the Captain had to do was handle the situation on the bottom floor and wait for the opportunity to escape.

It left him seething that he couldn’t just blast this whole place to bits, but it was like Stark said, they’d need a lot of ammo and timeーsomething they didn’t have very much of. The only benefit to ever infiltrating this place was the secret weapon, and the information gathered from both Tony and Natasha's hacking.

The alarms were even louder on this floor, much to the distaste of Captain America’s highly sensitive ears. The red lights only continued to flash in rapid beams as the booms and thunders of a distant battle echoed. Deciding he couldn’t wait any longer, he placed his hand on the handle and gave the door a fierce tug.

 

******

 

Your hearing was muffled again. You knew because the noises you detected were just garbled into a cacophony of sound and piercing lights. They were shouting. They were angry. Red surrounded you. But, you were too numb to care, and too far from a present state of mind to even comprehend what was happening in front of you.

You don’t know how long those people worked on you, but you felt the results; your joints ached with a searing pain, a heaviness settled in your stomach you could only describe as nausea, and your back creaked and felt like there were a thousand matches being set alight against your skin. The worst was your head.

Oh God, your head.

It throbbed. It pounded. Every single time your heart beat frantically in your chest your brain responded with a sharp jolt. It was a hammer slowly raining fiercely atop your skull as you drifted between consciousness. It was an axe digging itself deeper and deeper into your head and burrowing itself with pain. It kept you awake when you wanted to sleep and make it stop. It was hell.

You wanted it to stop.

******

The noises got louder and clearer, a sign to you that you were slowly regaining the fragmented pieces of your mind.

You wiggled your fingers, trying to ease your wrists out of the harsh restraints. To no avail. You were going to try your legs and test the waters when a voice distracted you.

“We aren’t even halfway to completing the wipe, sir, if we stop now it’ll permanently damage it if we try again later.”

“To hell with these Avengers! I want that jet ready and I want to be in the sky in less than ten minutes. You hear me?!” Another voice screeched.

This only added to your confusion as the people began flitting around you, pulling and tugging at the various cords attached to your skin. Were you the ‘it’? What purpose did you really serve? _Now what are they doing?_ Your thoughts felt like they were being dragged through cotton.

Panic settled in once more as you felt rubbery hands on your arms, chest, stomach, and legs. _They are going to move me_ , you realized, struggling furiously against the scientists. They yelled orders, obviously aiming to secure the now loosening restraints.

You won’t let them, **you won’t let them!**

Somehow, the contraption you were sitting in buckled exponentially, the metal groaning as it was crushed under an unseeable weight. The men backed away and screamed in both fear and surprise, watching as you crumpled the restraints, tearing your arms and legs away while stepping off.

The chunks of metal fell with a loud clash, and you finally tore the nasty thing away from your head, sucking in a breath of air. You couldn’t stand long, to your dismay, and promptly collapsed on the floor. However, as the men made to subdue you once more, something, whatever this force was, stopped them and repelled them backwards.

Your arms trembled as you attempted to raise yourself up from the floor, breathIing heavy and ragged. You knew you couldn’t hold up much longerーwhatever you just did to fight back drained whatever energy you had left in you.

Almost as quickly as you had broken free, you were surrounded by guards, all pointing their assault weapons at you. “Contain her.” The familiar voice was heard again. A scientist passed cautiously towards you, his hand outstretched as if pushing an unseeable force. Nothing happened this time, or, you lamented, you were too weak to **make** something happen.

You resigned to your fate. Falling limp in the arms of the scientists, they roughly shouldered you up and tugged you away from the carnage. You could feel the cold steel of another table press against your sore back, and watched helplessly as they readied a needle to once again prick you with.

_This is it… I’m done for._

You closed your eyes and submitted to the heaviness of your eyelids.

…

A grunt of pain and a loud clang made you open them again. In mass hysteria, the scientists began scrambling about, trying to avoid whatever had distracted them from the task at hand. A blur of red and blue rushed past, and you could see a lithe figure weaving in and out of the lab tables, using a -- you blinked -- _a shield_ to defend himself against the bullets.

Using the distraction to your advantage, you rolled off the table and screamed when you landed on the floor, a searing pain flashing through your body. You gritted your teeth and dragged yourself behind the table, hiding from the line of fire.

You almost couldn’t believe your eyes. The man, whoever he was, was taking down those men. He punched and kicked with such skill, and used that shield so expertly, you were completely mesmerized. You didn’t even realize everyone had been single-handedly dispatched until the man rose to his full height, and scanned the room until his eyes landed on you.

You became terrified. This man had just taken down a room-full of armed men in a matter of minutes, and now he had noticed you. Was he going to do the same to you? Is that why he was here?

His head was covered by a helmet with the letter ‘A’ on its forehead, and his whole suit was a correlation of the colors red, white, and blue, a star standing out proudly on his chest. He looked like the kind of guy who bench pressed cars for fun. At this observation you visibly shrunk further into yourself.

The man’s boots thumped heavily on the floor as he approached you, and you pushed yourself further against the table with his every step. When he got about five feet away, he bent to his knees, his shield still covering his body protectively. Observing you, his face contorted into what you realized was… Pity.

Despite the flashing red lights above him, his eyes shone a bright blue.

Blue… You liked blue. It was such a refreshing color. Maybe it was because you had been seeing monochrome for so long that your mind had forgotten what other colors really looked like. You knew this feeling very well: reassurance. A feeling very much accepted.

Distracted, you didn't notice that the man’s lips were moving and making sound, so you missed the first part of his question. “-- you’ll get some help. I’m here to get you out of this place.”

Your eyes widened at the statement, but as shocked as you were, you couldn’t get words to come out of your mouth. Not knowing if you had forgotten how to speak, or if you’re screaming had been the cause, you didn’t reply to him. The man didn’t seem to mind.

“You’ll be alright.” He said.

You swallowed heavily, an emotion you couldn’t describe filling your throat.

Hope.

Whoever this man was, he was saving you.

Heart soaring, you reached out to take the outstretched hand before you. Finally, _finally_ , your luck seemed to be on your side.

Until it wasn’t.

A bullet whizzed past your face, striking the table behind you and ricocheting off, burying itself promptly into your shoulder. You screamed and doubled over, gripping your arm as the blood rushed from the wound.

The soldier who saved you instantly turned around, his shield held high. You cried in despair.

The two of you were surrounded at gunpoint once more.

There was no way to get out of this one. No way. They had cornered the both of you against the debris, coming around in a half-circle. The barrels of their guns trained right on your savior, red targets beaming on his legs and exposed shoulders. You couldn’t see the man’s face, but his body tensed, his knees bending just slightly as you heard the sound of the guns cocking.

No. You wouldn't let this happen to him. You wouldn’t let him die. The man, standing valiantly against those soldiers, unwavering in his stance and defianceーhe was a hero. You refused to let all his efforts go to waste.

Your thoughts raced as you forced yourself up, pumping your battered legs in one final dash towards the line of fire. You did not understand why you were doing this, why this single person had gotten you so determined. You were selfish, you concluded, that had to be it. You just wanted your one-way ticket out of here. Glancing behind you, you met those blue eyes once more, noting the shock that flashed in them.

If you lived, you’d thank him.

 

The man had no time to react as you thrust yourself in front of him. The guns fired just as you spread your arms wide.

Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I have decided to keep the updating to weekly intervals. weekends shall probably be the time for me to write these chapters, so I'll keep up that schedule as best as I can! I will also try to make each chapter long, after all, waiting a week will give me plenty of time to thoroughly detail each one, so bear with me. the next chapter will also describe Reader's abilities more, so the mystery shall be lifted soon!
> 
> * I hope you enjoyed, thank you again for reading!


	3. You've Got Some Explaining You Can't Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * reader finally wakes up and meets with brucie, and has a nice chat with stevie over some shawarma.

You slowly opened your eyes, wincing against the bright lights that hung overhead. 

 

It took you a few moments for your pupils to adjust, but eventually you could make out some part of the small room you were currently residing in. Gingerly, you placed your hand below your body and attempted to sit up, wincing when you felt a nasty ache tighten your chest. 

 

_ What… Happened? _

 

You once again ended up in place you couldn't remember getting to. This was becoming very annoying, you decided. How many times was this sort of thing going to happen? Glancing around, you let out a sigh. It didn’t seem like much anyways, and it was too plain for you to distinguish anything that might help you recall something. 

 

Hearing a steady beeping, you blinked and looked to your side, surprised to find a contraption beside you. It was similar to the ones those scientists used on youーback when you were actually awake for some of the torture. It was rhythmic, a small light rising up and down in perfectly timed hills and dips. Suddenly realizing, you pressed a hand to your chest and found some wires taped onto your battered skin. 

 

A heartbeat. That was your heartbeat.

 

Which meant you were alive, and intactーfor the most part. 

 

You took better care to examine the room. This was obviously not the same place you had been experimented in. Your legs, arms, head, and even chest were bandagedーsomeone had done it skillfully and with the utmost care, you could tell. Those menーyou cringed at the thought of themーthey would never do anything as selfless as this. 

 

While it did make you a bit hopeful, you were also slightly concerned. You could now remember that man, the one in the suit, and how he had completely obliterated the armed soldiers, saving you from yet another “wipe”, as it was mentioned. However, whatever occurred after that was a blur. Between bouts of consciousness, you remember the sensation of being carried, and slightly strained voices. 

 

_ There were more people that came. _

 

Gulping slightly, you touched your arm, tracing the outlines of the gauze slowly. You were really banged up, more worse than you had originally thought. Just how long had those maniacs tested on you? Weeks, months,  _ years _ ? A lump grew in your throat, making it difficult to swallow.  _ Why me? _

 

Before you could wallow deeper into your fear, you heard a sliding sound. Freezing, you shot your gaze back up towards the doorway, watching anxiously. A man, dressed in casual pants and a neutral-colored dress shirt, strode in, looking inside a manila folder. He paused and met your frightened stare instantly, managing a hesitant smile. He didn’t seem surprised that you were awake. 

 

“Uh… Hello.” He greeted, his voice quiet. You didn’t say anything; your heart pounded too heavily in your chest. He seemed to notice your discomfort and only approached a few more steps, resting the folder on a nearby table. Folding his hands behind his back, he cleared his throat twice before speaking again. 

 

“My name is Dr. Bruce Banner, but you could just call me Bruce.” He introduced, sending another smile your way. You admired his attempts at easing the tension. It seemed like this man knew how to make others calmーhe had kind, dark eyes and a warm expression. It was hard to be scared of him for long. Before you knew it, your shoulders had drooped and you let out the breath that you had been holding. His influence had finally got to you. 

 

Noticing your visible relaxation, Bruce wandered a bit closer, still wary of your personal boundaries. You tilted your head slightly, and he seemed to understand your silent question. 

 

“Ah, well…” he scratched the back of neck, “long story short, we helped you get out of that HYDRA facility, and we brought you back here to patch you up. You weren’t looking too good.” 

 

Out of habit (could you really call it a habit? You can't recall anything that might help you answer that question) you bit your bottom lip. Bruce realized you weren’t going to talk so he just shuffled in place for a moment, trying to find his words. “Your heart stopped twice on the way to this facility, we almost thought you wouldn’t make it.”

 

Well, that explained the ache in your chest. You felt like you should be more concerned with this newly gained knowledge, but you only furrowed your eyebrows. With the amount of injuries you sustained, even  _ you _ were surprised that you were still breathing. 

 

“You have lacerations, bruises, cuts…” Bruce trailed off for a moment. “But,” he adjusted the glasses on his face, “you should be okay from here on outーas long as you take it easy.”

 

You snorted at that, bringing a hand to your forehead. “I… Why did you even bother bringing me back?” Your tone sounded more bitter than how you would have liked it. It was strange to speak. You felt like you haven't used your voice in years. And, considering the circumstances, that might have been the case. It was scratchy and raw, like it had been put through a meat grinder and then wrapped in sandpaper. Bruce, as you expected, did not answer right away.

 

“Look,” he started, walking back into your line of vision. “I’m going to tell you the truth right here and now. It’ll make things easier for the both of us if we were on the same page.”

 

Dropping your hand, you lifted your head once more. Bruce equally matched your dull stare, his face darkening just slightly. “You are currently in one of the Avenger’s facilities. I won't tell you where in the world, just in case you end up being…” He didn’t finish that last thought but you didn’t dwell much longer on it. Right now, you were more curious as to who these ‘Avengers’ were. 

 

“You, whoever you are, are an asset to us. You might have valuable information on the whereabouts on a certain… Friend of ours. You also could hold the secrets to an evil organization the world has spent about, hm, seventy years believing it was destroyed.”

 

Bruce leaned in towards you and you felt yourself shrink back again in apprehension. You took back what you had mentioned earlier about the doctorーit seemed like he didn’t trust you enough after all. There was a cold look in his eyes now, his face unreadable as a plate of steel. “It would best if you,” he paused to point his finger, “... cooperated.” 

 

And just like that, the warmth returned back to his features, as if the subtle threat was never uttered. You clenched the blanket you were covered in with your bandaged fingers, finally tearing your eyes from the man. You felt uneasy once again, the constant ache of your body did not help settle your nerves. Bruce made some mention of how pale you were and checked the IV drip suspended behind you, you weren’t paying attention as he rattled off some more of your symptoms. 

 

The scrape of chair legs brought you back to the present, and you saw the doctor taking a seat right by your bedside. You didn’t move, but you also pretended not to acknowledge his proximity. “If you don’t mind,” he began, gesturing towards your hands, “I’d like for you to tell me what you remember. Anything at all.”

 

What a simple question, really. The problem was, obviously, the fact that you  _ couldn’t _   remember  _ anything.  _ You didn’t even know your own name. 

 

You paused.

 

You… Had no idea who you were. 

 

The shock must have been visible on your face because Dr. Banner clasped his hands together, looking like he was deep in thought. He was a smart man, you could tell, he seemed to be the one who had tended to your injuries. But, now that you had given this fact away, he only grew more suspicious of you. I mean, you couldn’t blame him. You were suspicious of yourself too. Who’s to say you weren’t just lying? 

 

Slowly and thickly, you described the fading moments of your last experiment, and the man who had saved you. You tried to tell him about some of the times you were awake during these instances, but your memory was so fuzzy and pocketed with holes you couldn’t really get out much. Bruce kept a stoic face throughout, nodding occasionally. The only time he interrupted was to mention the name of the soldier who had saved you.

 

He was the leader of the team, he had said. Steve Rogers, otherwise known as Captain America. You dipped your head at the name, running it through your mind a few times. 

 

Seems like you would get to say thanks after all. 

  
  


******

  
  


Bruce didn’t stay too long after that. He probably thought he had gleaned all the information he could out of you. Which was true. You were also becoming tired again, so the man had decided to leave you be for a little while. Setting a glass of water at your bedside, he said goodbye and left the room the same way he came in. 

 

Your fragmented thoughts were your company once again.

 

During the discussion with the doctor, your body had slowly begun to lower itself onto the plush bed, relaxing against the cool sheets. Despite the fact that this entire facility deemed you a hostile, you enjoyed the comfort they provided you. 

 

Your eyes were half-lidded as you lazily traced the ceiling patterns, a haze falling over you. You didn’t want to sleep again. It wasn’t so much the fact of waking disoriented, but rather the fear of this whole thing being a dream. The thought of falling asleep and waking up back on the examination table was still just as real as Dr. Banner had been. You didn’t want to leave this wonderfully comfortable bed behind, and hell would freeze over before you would let those bastards try their hand with you again. 

 

Nevertheless, your eyes closed heavily and you soon fell into a deep slumber, completely unperturbed by the constant beep of your heartbeat and the mechanical humming. 

  
  


******

  
  


The team looked up the instant Bruce had entered the room. Tony was the first to shoot up from his seatーmostly due to curiosity. They had suffered light bangs and bruises while escaping the HYDRA facility; Thor’s shoulder was slightly strained (he had chucked Mjolnir aggressively at a whole row of the HYDRA soldiers and almost tore his arm off while doing so), Natasha was scraped by a bullet on her side, and Clint had somehow managed to get out of a crossfire with some minor scratches. Overall, the mission was a success, and they had even managed to extract valuable information on the remaining HYDRA compoundsーto which Steve was pleased about.

 

However, the gorilla in the room needed to be addressed, and Tony seemed to be the only one up to asking the questions at the moment. “Yo, Brucie. You get anything from her?” The billionaire inquired, holding up a hand so that he could catch the manila folder.

 

The doctor let out a breath in response, sitting down at the round table slowly. He glanced around at the Avengers once he had settled, rubbing his chin. “... She remembers nothing and I truly believe she is being genuine.”

 

The silence tensed the air as the statement sunk in. 

 

“Wait a sec,” Tony brought the attention to himself, “nothing? Absolutely nothing?* Zilch, nada, zero, kaput? Not even a name or anything?”

 

Bruce shook his head. “Nothing. Not even a name.” 

 

The billionaire sat back with a scoff of disbelief, running a hand through his already messy hair. “After all that damn trouble, turns out the machine got to her before we could.”

 

Steve’s fingers curled into fists, but Natasha noticed and gave him a pointed look, already conveying her silent message. The super soldier only partially relaxed, but his eyes seemed calm enough for her to begin speaking without interruption. “I looked over some of the videos Clint and I managed to get and I thought you guys might want to see this.” 

 

Her fingers tapped quickly on the holographic screen before her, and a presentation alighted in front of the Avengers. The video was grainy, likely a rogue security camera down on the bottom floor, but it was clear enough for them to recognize you struggling against HYDRA on the same machine that had taken your memories. You crushed the objects in your near vicinity into scrap metal in an attempt to defend yourself against the scientists. The footage showed a strange distortion around you. The scientists attempted to approach but were quickly flattened to the ground. The moment when you had thrust yourself in front of the Captain had been recorded as well, and that same distortion ricocheted dozens of bullets off of the two of you.

 

Steve looked closely. He could remember you brushing against him slightly before the HYDRA soldiers had fired, and he remembered the shimmering substance that had covered his skin. It was the same kind of wavering air you would see on asphalt on a hot summer day. The moment passed in the blink of an eye, but Steve had been shocked by the way the bullets never pierced through his suit. He could’ve been shot a hundred times over, but you had prevented that. 

 

“ _Project S.S_ ,” Natasha spoke up, scrolling through still images of the files acquired during their hacking. “She's a mutant, and HYDRA’s new puppet. Unfortunately, someone was smart enough not to leave the real reason of the need for her abilities.” 

 

“Gravity,” Tony realized, bringing his hand up to the still image of the crushed metal. “She can increase gravity in the immediate vicinity.”

 

Thor blew air out of his lips. “What if she controls metal?”

 

“Nah,” Tony muttered, already clicking away on the keypad, “her movements would've been more precise. Everything just sort of…. Caved in on itself.” 

 

Clint scratched his chin, observing the videos once again. “It doesn't look like that's her exact ability, though,” he thought out loud, “it's almost like… It's a side effect of her real power.” 

 

_ Her real power. _

 

Steve shuffled through the files in front of him, reading the experiment reports. While he could access them in the hologram, he much preferred physical copies. 

 

As he scanned along the girl’s information, he almost slapped his hand to his forehead. How come he hadn't realized this before? Her purpose… It was a purpose far different from what all of them had expected. He mulled it over for second before Clint seemed to have noticed the look on his face. “What's up, Cap?” 

 

“You all know how Bucky was….” the name hung guiltily in the air, but Steve ignored the pang in his chest as he spoke, “used for offensive purposes. HYDRA wanted to get rid of someone without anybody else knowing who did it, so Bucky came in and eliminated them. They were controlling him offensively, and we for sure know that this mutant isn’t a super soldier. She certainly doesn’t look like it. My bet,” he looked down at the folder, eyeing the strange blue diamond inscribed on the top right, “she was meant to be their defense.” 

 

“Defense?” Thor echoed, leaning forward on his elbows. “What would they be defending?”

 

“Don't know,” Steve answered, “might be another program we’re unaware of, might be a weapon… Who knows what in the world they're hiding now.”

 

There was a pregnant pause before Natasha’s voice rang steadily. “It makes sense. But, just because she's not a super soldier doesn’t mean she cannot do the things you and The Winter Soldier are capable of doing. Appearances can be deceiving. Mutants can be really powerful. I say that once she heals up we get to testing her right away, sparring and whatnot. I'm sure you'd all like to know what she can do.” She cast her steely gaze on the Captain. 

 

Steve’s lips thinned into a line. He certainly hoped that you weren’t hiding any more abilities. The way Natasha spoke of the Winter Soldier is proof enough that she hasn't yet forgiven Bucky for what he's doneーfor what's she's seen him do. He didn't blame her, but that kind of thinking didn't apply to him. Bucky had saved his life at the helicarrier crash, just as you had shielded him from HYDRA’s onslaught. Despite everything, Steve  _ knew _  that the two of you retained some amount of humanity in all of those horrible experiments. It was worth a try. 

 

“I'll talk to her when she wake up again. It won't help interrogating her anyways.” The Captain said. Tony gave him a sly look. “You've got a soft spot for her, don’cha, Capsicle?” He teased. Steve sputtered, glaring at the man beside him. “No, Stark. Shut up.” Tony only laughed in response and the rest of the team followed.

 

“Well,” Thor stretched, wincing a bit when his shoulder pulled, “I'm going to clean up. I don't know about you all but I rather enjoy the warm, Midgardian showers!” Clint rolled his eyes as he went up to follow him, rather amused by the Asgardian’s statement. “I bet you use Tony’s L’oreal shampoo…”

 

Tony, slightly offended by Clint’s comment, dashed after them. “I don't use L’oreal! I use Suave,” he corrected them, running a hand through his hair as proof. Snickering, the three exited the room, continuing to chatter as they went back into the common room to mooch off of the abundance of snacks. 

 

Steve sighed, both irritated and amused that the meeting had been cut short. He looked up when Natasha slipped out of her seat, Bruce standing with her. The doctor played with his collar when she passed, appearing as if he wanted to say something. Natasha left the room without a word, and the Captain was left alone with the other man. The super soldier cleared his throat, eyeing the mess of papers in front of him.

 

“Be, uh, careful with what you say to the mutant.”

 

“I know.” 

 

“She's apprehensive, but I think she’ll be more relaxed around you.”

 

Steve met Bruce’s gaze in curiousity. “She remembers that you saved her. I think she wants to thank you.” He elaborated.

 

He nodded in response and folded his arms, leaning back in his chair. “Thank you, Bruce.”

 

The man gave Steve a short wave and gathered his own things, pushing in his chair and exiting through the glass door. 

 

The minutes ticked by and Steve’s eyes never left the diamond on one of your files. He ran through what had happened the past several hours and tried to think of instances in which he could approach you about. He wouldn't deny that he was curious about your predicament (it was so similar to Bucky’s after all). The insight into your wipe could provide valuable information for future use. 

 

He scolded himself. You were still a person, he had to treat you as one. 

 

Pushing back from his seat, he folded all the papers into the manila folder and made his way towards the door. 

 

He wondered if you liked shawarma.

  
  


******

  
  


You were dreaming. At least, you felt* like you were dreaming. 

  
  


You were underwater, that much you could tell. Sunlight filtered from above, rippling against the current. At first, you started choking, panic building in your chest over the fact that you were  _ under the water  _ and humans couldn't  _ breathe _ in it. However, after thrashing around for a few moments, you realized you could gulp the water just like you would oxygen, and managed to settle enough to tread in place. 

 

Taking in your surroundings, the sandy ocean floor beneath you gave away to a steep drop, leading all the way down into pitch darkness. The sunlight was the only indication to how deep you were, since everything else around you was just an eerie, dark blue. You heard distant groans, the vibrations echoing against you as it traveled along the currents.

 

You decided it was not a smart idea to go that way. So, by the simple process of elimination, you opted to swim up. 

 

It took longer than you assumed. You knew that underwater perception was different from the outside world, but you couldn’t help but feel that something was tugging you down -- inch by inch with every stroke you took. To your relief, you saw a hand reaching towards you from the surface, beckoning you to swim closer. In a final spurt of energy, you stretched your arm, fingertips barely brushing the other…

 

You sucked in a breath and jolted up, waking abruptly from your dream. Your fingers curled into a fist and you pressed it against your chest, attempting to settle your aching heart. A chill fell down your back, as if you had just been doused in the cold water of the ocean you were just imagining. You were currently wondering what had scared you so badly when you heard shuffling beside you. 

 

_ It was him. _

 

You squeaked and jumped back as far as you could in your small hospital bed, rather surprised to find the man there. He quickly held up his hands in defense, “Whoa, whoa. Sorry about waking you, I just wanted to come in and talk,” he said carefully. You watched him with wide eyes, the memories of your previous dream slowly fading from your mind.

 

Captain America was sitting in a seat beside your bed, a brown bag of some sort resting in his lap. He was dressed differently from when you last saw him, a more laid-back attire that consisted of a gray muscle shirt and matching sweatpants. Your face instantly flushed.

 

He was pretty well-built…

 

Of course that would be the first thing you noticed. 

 

Concerned about your silence, Steve asked if you were alright and you forcibly shoved those thoughts out of your mind, managing to grow even redder in the face. “I-I’m sorry,” you said meekly, “you just surprised me is all.” The super soldier nodded and leaned back a bit in his chair, suddenly holding up the bag. “I know you haven’t eaten in awhile so I decided you should get your strength up before we talk. I got you some food from this restaurant my friend took me a while ago.”

 

You blinked, your gaze shifting over to the bag. You slowly pointed at the bag and then back to yourself, raising a singular eyebrows towards Steve. He seemed amused, a smile quirking one side of his lips. “Yes, for you.” He confirmed.

 

Your stomach growled in response and you let out a sigh, gratefully taking the bag from him and opening it. It truly had been a while since you had a solid meal like this, God knows you’ll need all the sustenance you can get. Unwrapping the food, you took a bite of out of it and chewed in contemplation, enjoying the flavors that erupted on your tongue. It was  _ so good _ .

 

Luckily, the soldier next to you brought his own meal (a considerably larger portion you want to add), and ate it in a comfortable silence. Once you had taken the last bite of the extra fries Steve had gotten you, you crumpled up the bag and rubbed at your mouth, glancing nervously at Steve. 

 

“Thank you…” you muttered. 

 

The soldier paused in the middle of taking another bite and watched your face. “What for?”

 

You licked your lips, not expecting for him to be so humble. “For, the food, a-and for saving me, of course.” You snuck a glance up at him, immediately retracting your gaze when those blue eyes landed on yours. You were shocked by the amount of warmth that came from them. While Bruce had been kind, you could see why this man was the supposed leader of the Avengers. 

 

Your thoughts were interrupted by laughter. Surprised, you lifted your head and were met with a chuckling Steve Rogers, who had a wrist covering his mouth while his lips twisted in mirth. You blinked several times. “What? W-Was it something I said?”

 

He let out a breath, gathering himself. “You’ve got it all wrong, kiddo,” he said, “if it weren’t for you, I’d be riddled with bullet holes right now.” 

 

You smiled lightly, playing with the bandages on your arms. “I guess we’re even then,” you mused. Steve’s smile widened at your words and he nodded. “That we are.” He leaned back once more and finished of the rest of his meal, taking a long sip out of his drink. 

 

You knew he was here for a purpose, and not just to chat like long lost friends. You could feel the heaviness of the questions in the air, the same as it had been with Dr. Banner. You reminded yourself not to get too friendly -- you were the enemy here after all. So that’s why you decided to get to the point.

 

“I don’t remember anything, not my name or purpose or what I was being used for.” You spilled, feeling the relaxed mood drop. 

 

There was silence as the Captain crunched up the paper bag, effectively tossing it into the wastebasket at the foot of your bed. 

 

“I know,” was his simple reply.

 

You stared at him, perturbed by his answer. 

 

“I have no reason to believe you are a threat right now, but the rest of my team does.” He continued, his eyes holding an emotion you couldn’t pinpoint. “You saved my life, as far as I can tell, so I trust you.”

 

You pressed your lips together and slowly nodded at Steve’s words. You felt rather grateful that this man -- whom you’ve only known for approximately thirty minutes -- gave his trust to someone who certainly didn’t deserve it. You almost felt like telling him that he shouldn’t, that it was a bad idea. Almost.

 

“Now,” he smiled again, “you said you don’t have a name right?” You gave him a confirmation. In response, Steve picked up a familiar manila folder from the bedside table and opened it.

  
  


“I was reading the reports we managed to gather up at the HYDRA facility, so I decided you might want to take a look at it and decide what you want us to call you. You can’t just be No Name this entire time.” He added. 

 

Handing you the folder, you gave him a look until he beckoned for you to read it, waiting patiently for you to decide.

 

Taking a look at the papers, there was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo you couldn’t understand; statistics, graphs, medical terms. But, one title that kept repeating over and over stuck out to you.

 

_ Project S.S. _

 

_ Project S.S. _

 

Your eyes widened as a faint memory began to poke at you. It was just a word, but it echoed in your head, its importance very much noticeable.

 

“Salt.” You answered almost instantaneously. 

 

“What was that?” Steve leaned forward after not catching your quiet words.

 

You looked into those blue eyes, feeling your throat constrict slightly. This wasn’t your real name, you knew it. But, it was who you were now. 

 

A project.

 

“Salt,” you said again, your voice stronger this time. “The name of my program… This experiment… It’s called Project Salt Skin.” 

 

Steve appeared surprised, but he didn’t seem to protest to the name in any way. Perhaps, he thought it would be logical to give you a name from the only information they had of you. “Did you just remember that?” 

 

You swallowed. “Yes. It was only a voice though. The name was all I heard.”

 

The Captain inclined his head, but he looked disappointed. His displeasure was wiped away as quickly as it came, however, and he gave you a small pat on the shoulder as he stood up. “Alright, Salt. At least we made some progress today.” He chuckled a bit. You returned the slight smile, still holding the folder in your hands. 

 

“You can keep that,” he pointed towards the folder, “who knows? Might help you remember something else.”

 

You watched him closely as he picked up the jacket that was slung along the back of his chair, making his way slowly towards the door. You opened your mouth to say goodbye but he beat you to it, pausing by the exit and looking back.

 

“Oh, and Salt?” You perked up, the name sounding foreign to your ears. “Don’t beat yourself up too much. We’ll help you out as much as we can.” And with that he left.

 

Hearing a swoosh that indicated his leaving, you allowed yourself to lean back and let your mouth melt into a grin, gripping the folder close to your chest. Staring at the ceiling and all its unique patterns, a different sensation filled your body.

 

Hope. You finally had hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * aww, isn't stevie just the sweetest? can you already tell reader has a slight crush on him? don't worry, this romance thing will take a hell'uva longer time to develop. besides, aren't those kinds of stories the best?
> 
> * i've unfortunetly got finals coming up (whoopie), so i made this chapter a whopping 4800 words to make up for my absence. sorry xD
> 
> * i'll continue to keep up with updates as best as i can!! other than that, i hope you all enjoyed the new installment ~
> 
> * all your comments and kudos are very appreciated!!


	4. You Meet a Certain Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * sorry it took me so long to get this one out! i'm finally done with finals so i am back to my regular schedule c; 
> 
> * this chapter is a bit shorter since i cut it off, the next stage of the story would've made this one too long, so i just had the plot thicken a bit in this one instead~ the next one will def be longer and more action-packed, i promise!!
> 
> * enjoy!!

 

You were bedridden for several more days, as Steve had told you on his regular visits to your room. There were no windows in the lab, so there was no way you could tell what time of day it was. Just as Dr. Banner had said, the Avengers had kept close tabs on you, not giving you any indication as to where you may be. It left you a bit frustrated. Being stuck in the same spot for days on end would leave anybody impatient, and between drifting in and out of sleep and Steve visiting, you felt like you were just wasting away, repeating the same routine everyday. Steve’s presence was the only thing that gave you any sort of comfort. He was trying to keep your mood up, distracting you by talking and explaining about some of the things around the building _ — _ like Tony Stark’s AI system named JARVIS, who had scared you one day when his disembodied voice announced itself rather suddenly. 

 

For now, you were reading a book that the Captain had provided you to pass the time. Your body had healed incredibly quick, possibly because of your ability, as Steve said. You still haven’t remembered anything of yourself within the long amount of time, and you believed you were starting to frustrate the Avengers, who were obviously egging Steve and Dr. Banner _ — _ the only two who spoke with you _ — _ to get you to say anything. When you expressed your concerns Steve only said to “take your time,” and that he understood that things like this took a while to come back. You were frightened by this statement; how long would you live your life in the dark? 

 

Suddenly feeling sick to your stomach, you closed the book and set it aside on the table, a breath releasing itself from your lips. You looked down at your bandaged hands, wringing them together slowly before dragging your fingers through your hair. You winced when your digits got caught in the knots, pulling them away and smelling the metallic scent of blood.

 

You really needed to clean up, you were honestly disgusted with how you must have appeared. You hadn’t gotten a chance to shower or anything since you arrived, and who knows how long you had spent on the table back at the HYDRA facility. 

 

Glancing around the room, you listened closely for any sounds that might have indicated another presence. When all you heard in return was the quiet whirring of one of the computers, you pulled away the blankets and pressed your hands underneath you, attempting to shift your feet to the floor. It was difficult with how much you were wrapped up. While you had felt considerably better, your muscles still ached with a ghostly pain, and your left leg felt very numb. Your back strained and stung as you felt your feet touch the cold tile. Breathing slowly, you gripped the handle of your bed and started to stand, only to yelp when you promptly collapsed to the floor. 

 

_ What…? _

 

In shock, you lifted your head and pressed your arms beneath you again, only to wince when your leg pulled unpleasantly. You blinked. What was wrong with your leg? You tried to bend it, only managing to get it halfway before you had to straighten it again. In the midst of your panic over the discovery of your limp leg, JARVIS’s voice echoed clearly throughout the room. 

“Miss Salt, are you alright?” The AI system asked upon hearing your grunt of pain. “Do you require assistance?”

 

You reached up to the grab the handle once more, trying to haul yourself up. “I-I’m fine,” you grumbled, your form shivering in the thin t-shirt and sweatpants _ — _ it had grown very cold in the room. The sudden effort of lifting yourself caused your head to swim, so you let go and slumped to the ground once more. JARVIS, to your dismay, said he was going to alert Dr. Banner.

 

“No, wait, JARVIS, it’s alright I can get up,” you protested, but to no avail.

 

“They are on their way, Miss Salt.”

 

You blew your hair out of your face in frustration. The last thing you needed was to have the Avengers to stick you to your bed even longer. You hurried to try and get up once more, but it was only a matter of seconds before you heard the door slide open. Striding in was Dr. Banner, dressed in his usual lab coat and relaxed dress shirt. However, he had brought someone along with him. Another man, dark-haired and bearded, holding a suitcase as he walked over to you. You stared at him in surprise, before you were quite literally lifted to your feet by the doctor, who seemed rather concerned as he asked you what had happened. “I’m sorry.” you mumbled, as he helped you sit back onto the bed. “I was going to look for a bathroom to clean up in and… I couldn’t…” you trailed off as you felt their gazes bore into you. 

 

Bruce watched your face for a moment before taking a look at your leg. “You could not stand, am I correct?” 

 

You gulped, promptly ignoring the stranger who seemed to be eyeing you in the most unsettling way possible. You nodded. 

 

Dr. Banner glanced at the other man and waved him over. He seemed generally excited to do so, almost cackling as he brought a rolling table over and placed the suitcase on top of it. You met Bruce’s gaze, apprehension clear in your eyes. “Salt, this is Tony Stark,” he introduced, appearing irritated. Oh. So this was the man Steve always complained about. He didn’t seem like much, you thought, but from what Steve had told you, this man was just as intelligent as Bruce. You noticed the black shirt he was wearing had a strange blue light glowing from the center of his chest. While he was of a smaller stature, it was obvious that he worked daily _ — _ the muscles in his arms were well defined. Compared to him, you felt like quite the twig. How many times were you going to be looked down upon in this place?

 

“Nice to finally meet ya in person,” Tony grinned, holding out his hand for you to shake. You hesitantly did so, watching the man’s erratic movements as he opened the suitcase and assembled whatever was inside of it. “You see, Stevie-Boy talks plenty about ya but I never had the time to come down and visit. Brucie here gave me updates on your condition and when he told me about your leg I kinda wanted to help out.”

 

You looked to Bruce for any sort of elaboration but the man just had his arms crossed and fingers stroking his chin. You wondered if the nicknames were something he was used to… 

 

Tony whirled around and distracted you from your thoughts. In his hands was a small, circular device, made of some sort of metal and adorned with several chrome buttons. It had two latches on its sides, and you only tilted your head in confusion at the sight of it. “I developed this special kind of leg brace. It won’t give you full-mobility of your leg, but it should provide enough joint support so that you could at least limp around.” He pointed towards your limb. “Mind if I try it on you?” 

 

You blinked in surprise, lifting up your sweatpants after shaking your head in response. Bruce came around to your side as Tony attached the brace to your ankle, the metal adjusting to the shape almost instantaneously. “When I was cleaning up your wounds the other day,” Bruce explained, “we found that you sustained an injury to your left leg. When we checked, however, it seemed to an old one, you even had surgical scars for it, so it wasn’t inflicted during your time with HYDRA. I concluded that you must have had this injury in your past, since the X-Rays we took revealed damage extending more than ten years. You haven't been able to walk properly or run in that amount of time.”

 

You watched in awe as Tony pressed a button and the device unfurled itself. The metal clanked softly as it traveled up your leg, wrapping thin metallic bands around your knee and hips. You could feel the coolness of it as formed along the key spots of your joints, providing a rigidness to your otherwise numb leg. You didn’t say anything for a moment as you gently pressed it to the ground, Tony and Bruce standing near you in case your body gave out. Just as Tony expected, you were able to stand firmly with no problem. A smile made its way to your lips. 

 

“Try walking this way,” Tony suggested, backing up a bit until he stopped by the computer, beckoning. You took a tentative step forward, feeling the brace shift to form along with your movement. It felt strange, but it also felt comfortable. Somehow, Tony was able to make it so that it moved with you, providing the support needed to physically move your leg forward. There was still a noticeable limp, and you might have to use a crutch or a cane of some sort, but you managed to make it to the front of the room, Tony stopping you by patting his hand on your shoulder. “How’s it feel?” He enthusiastically asked, obviously elated that his invention had worked.

 

“I… can walk. So, I’m very happy. Thank you.” You said, giving the man another smile. He seemed to be pleased with your answer. “Well, of course you can walk, that was the plan all along, kid,” he teased, dropping his hand from your shoulder and heading towards Bruce, “I kinda modeled it after the way my Iron Man suits work, you know, the forming metal and all that jazz.”

 

You started after him. No, you didn’t know that. But, at least now you had a working leg. Maybe you could ask…?

 

Your thoughts were interrupted by Dr. Banner calling your name. “Salt, if you wouldn’t mind, we’d like you to come down with us this evening for a… test.”

 

_ Test? _ You thought, your arms coming up to cross around your chest. Your eyes instantly took on that frightened light and Tony held up his hands, “Whoa, whoa, it’s not what you think,” he reassured, “we just wanna get a better look at those cool powers you showed off a couple days back. It might help with your, uh,  _ memory problem _ .”

 

Oh. So that was the true motive behind making the brace, you realized bitterly. They couldn’t test you in the field if you couldn't stand. Frowning, you looked down at your leg again, swaying back and forth to feel the brace shift once more. Well, you were still considered an enemy here, despite Steve’s friendliness towards you. You shouldn’t really be expecting much more. Sighing, you agreed to Bruce’s request and then asked him if you could clean up a bit before they went. Luckily, he said you were allowed and then proceeded to show you a place down the hall where you could. The room you resided in was really large, so you weren't surprised it had all of the basic necessities. Steve had to _ — _ embarrassingly enough _ — _ carry you to the small bathroom back in the lab so you could relieve yourself. You hadn’t known there had been a shower in this hallway, and it wasn’t like you could've gotten up and looked anyways. 

 

Bruce showed you where the towels and the soap were, and even the first aid kit, in case you needed to bandage up again. There was a spare change of clothes in the closet, and after explaining he and Tony would wait in the hall, he left you to your devices. 

 

Shutting the door behind his wake, you locked it and then immediately proceeded to strip yourself, wincing when your raw injuries burned. You double-taked when your reflection stared back at you in the mirror. Needless to say, you were pretty shocked. You slowly approached the sink and watched yourself as your hand came up and touched a mark on your cheek. You were bloodied and bruised around the eyes and lips, your chopped hair was matted with blood and grime. Breathing heavily, you frantically unwrapped the bandages, covering your mouth in horror at the sight. As if your face wasn’t bad enough, your torso was even worse. It was littered with cuts and marks of all kinds. Most were stitched up, but some were still reddened and irritated. You ran a finger along each of the bumps and discolorations, a whimper building in your throat. Terror couldn’t even begin to describe your emotions at this point. 

 

Turning around, you examined the rest of your battered body, noticing something peculiar. You had now figured out what had caused the stinging sensation on your back all those days ago. 

 

You had a tattoo.

 

You don’t know if you could’ve called it that, it was colored strangely, a gray mass that started at the nape of your neck and extended all the way to your tailbone. Recalling a piercing sensation during your time with HYDRA, you concluded that it was because of this. 

 

Why a tattoo was as intricate as this one you would never know.

 

It was difficult to describe. You could’ve compared it to the circuit board of a computer; pathways that criss-crossed and intersected at different points, all coming from a central region on your back.

 

You ran your hands continuously across your back while you showered, watching the dirt slowly slip away into the drain. Throughout the process of dressing your remaining wounds and fitting on clothes, you felt nothing but smooth skin. You didn’t notice how long you had taken until Bruce knocked on the door, asking if you were alright. You gave a feeble okay, standing up from the toilet seat to open it. Tony was right behind him, blinking a bit when you stepped out. 

 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked again, furrowing his brows.

 

You tried to relax yourself, feeling a nervous vibe build in your chest again. “Yes,” you answered breathily. 

 

It was awkward for a few moments as nothing was said, but Tony broke it, striding towards the exit. “Well, I don't know about you guys, but I’m headed to the meeting, Natasha can be a real pain when we’re late.” Bruce sighed and nodded, following after him in agreement. He stopped and looked back when you didn’t come along. “You coming?”

 

He eyed you warily as you nodded and picked up your limp, finally leaving the room you had spent such a long time in. The entire way to your new destination, you couldn’t help but have a singular question tumble around inside your head.

 

_ What had HYDRA done to you? _

  
  
******   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * oo hoo well looky here, looks like you're going to be meeting up with the rest of the avengers in the next one. i actually really love writing tony it's just so fun, he he.
> 
> * oh, btw, in case anybody would be wondering, here's a link to an image i thought resembled what the tattoo really looks like, interpret it as you like: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi28ITg_8PKAhUDOSYKHTVVCZ4QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdepositphotos.com%2F3090681%2Fstock-photo-close-up-of-computer-circuit.html&bvm=bv.112454388,d.eWE&psig=AFQjCNGbPoi97lx7FDTz3cxUEa6awCikEg&ust=1453776935976728


	5. At Gun-Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet some interesting people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * HOO BOY ITS BEEN A WHILE HASN'T IT. sorry about the long wait my friends, i've had an extremely busy couple of months and just couldn't find the time to keep up with this fic. anyways, here it is! i think im going to make the chapters shorter, just so i could update daily. my other fic grants most of my attention, so i have to find a middle ground somewhere.
> 
> *thank you for all your patience and support! hope you like it ; )

_Previously:_

 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked again, furrowing his brows.

 

You tried to relax yourself, feeling a nervous vibe build in your chest again. “Yes,” you answered breathily.

 

It was awkward for a few moments as nothing was said, but Tony broke it, striding towards the exit. “Well, I don't know about you guys, but I’m headed to the meeting, Natasha can be a real pain when we’re late.” Bruce sighed and nodded, following after him in agreement. He stopped and looked back when you didn’t come along. “You coming?”

 

He eyed you warily as you nodded and picked up your limp, finally leaving the room you had spent such a long time in. The entire way to your new destination, you couldn’t help but have a singular question tumble around inside your head.

 

_What had HYDRA done to you?_

 

 

_******_

 

 

The facility was huge.

 

It took almost twenty minutes, you estimated, to traverse the winding halls and reach whatever destination the Avengers set aside for you. If you didn’t have to hobble your way there it might have gone faster, but Bruce and Tony had made no move to help you along. They merely waited when your limp caused you to fall behind and only watched cautiously as you hurried to catch up.

 

If you weren’t rattled by their actions earlier, you most certainly were now. 

 

Why were they being so skeptical? Couldn’t they have at least provided you with some information about where you were really going? You thought you deserved that much, if anything.

 

A breath of cold air drifted over your bare arms and you crossed them against your chest, shivering. Your thin t-shirt, sweatpants, and sock-covered feet didn’t do too much to protect you against the chill. Your own room wasn’t very big on heating, either, so it was silly to assume the rest of the building would be cozy and welcoming. 

 

You heard the men’s footsteps halt and looked up, noticing that you had arrived at what appeared to be an elevator. Tony pressed a hand to a scanner by the doors and you heard the whirring of the approaching car, a sharp ding announcing its arrival. Bruce and Tony didn’t move, and you glanced up with furrowed brows. Dr. Banner didn’t say anything, but he inclined his head towards the elevator.

 

Oh. He wanted you to go in first. Your mouth pressed into a thin line as you made your way past him, stopping rigidly in the back. Tony came in right after you, Bruce tailing behind. After some more button-pressing, the billionaire was the one to finally speak up. “So, let me explain things to you first, ‘cause you seem pretty confused right now.”

 

You held back a scoff. You were definitely past the term  _ confused _ .

 

He turned to face you, his dark eyes calculating and apprehensive. “We’re going down to the training center to get ahold of your abilities. If we find you dangerous to us or anybody else, we’re going to lock you up.” 

 

His words were devoid of all emotion. It appeared like Tony knew what he was talking about, and that only led you conclude they’ve been through this kind of situation before. You gave a meek nod and tore your gaze away, not being able to hold the tension between them. You felt your heart drop to your stomach at the severity of the threat. All your excitement from the change in scenery had disappeared, now, you wanted more than ever to be back in your room. 

 

It grew silent once again and you made no attempt to start anything, merely following along when the elevator doors opened. You didn’t pay much attention to what surrounded you, but the steel gray walls had finally shifted into something different, more specifically - windows. They were wide and covered the entire way up to to the ceiling. The glass was thick, you could tell, and you could faintly see your reflection against its polished surface. Curious, you peered through them to see what was below.

 

You slowed down your stride just enough to observe the room. It was massive, and appeared to be the training center Bruce and Tony were supposedly taking you to. There was a whole section dedicated to exercising machines, and another that had mats spread out with hanging punching bags. You could the see outline of a few people on the other end, who were sparring with one another. You craned your neck to get a better view, but was then startled by a sudden hand on your elbow. Jumping reflexively, you whirled around with wide eyes - 

 

You relaxed. Bruce’s face was pinched, but he offered a light smile. “We can’t keep them waiting any longer.”

 

You inclined your head bashfully and continued to move along, heart rate beginning to slow.

 

After several minutes of walking in a circle around the facility, the three of you took one more elevator to the bottom floor of the gym.

 

Standing at ground level was far more intimidating than looking at it from the top, because now it appeared as if the gym stretched for miles. You didn’t want to get left behind in a place such as this, so you tried to stay alongside Tony, not noticing the cheeky smirk he gave you. 

 

Eventually, you were allowed to rest. Bruce pointed a bench you could sit on, and you immediately complied. Tony stayed with you while Bruce went to go talk to those people from earlier, who were still going at one another from the other end of the room. You nervously wrung your hands as you watched him speak with a redhead, who cast menacing looks at you from her spot thirty feet away. 

 

You ducked your head down and played with a stray thread on your pants, already getting antsy with the attention. You didn't know if these flighty emotions of yours were something that came out of your previous life, but you certainly understood that you didn't like being in this place. 

 

There didn't appear to be any exits, other than the door you entered in. Even if there were any, you doubt the team would have let you take three steps before incarcerating you. A defeated sigh left your lips.

 

So, instead of sitting around and looking like an idiot, you decided to take the chance to stand and hover over the bench to look around. Tony jolted towards your direction, but then relaxed when he realized you were staying close. You ignored him for the time being and just observed your surroundings. 

 

The room curved upwards into a dome-like structure, which appeared to be made of glass. Surprisingly, you could see the blue sky above it, and the fluffy, white clouds that drifted past. At least you knew that you weren't underground anymore - God knows how much you hated being underground by now. 

 

It was refreshing, you realized, to know that the world was still out there - existing without you, yes, but still there. Tangible and accessible.

 

Or, not accessible. _ Yet. _

 

Tony took this moment, while you were daydreaming, to scare the living daylights out of you. Jabbing you in the side of ribs until you squealed in fright. You jumped almost three feet in the air as he chortled and snickered. Honestly, what was up with this guy?

 

“Wow, that was  _ priceless.” _ He continued laughing, not giving you a second to regain your dignity. You were about to scold him for doing so - until someone interrupted you. 

 

“So, this is what HYDRA had to offer?” A cold, calculating voice sounded from your left, and your heart dropped to your stomach. 

 

You turned to look at the same redhead that was glaring at you earlier, and you instantly shrank back to Tony’s side.

 

“A wimp?”

 

You gulped lightly, trying to avoid her penetrating gaze. You said nothing as she continued staring.

 

“Well? Are you gonna defend yourself or something? Or are you just going to let me talk smack about you?” 

 

You blinked, suddenly noticing something.

 

_ She didn't trust you. _

 

Pfft, duh. Of course she didn't trust you! Just look at how she's acting! 

 

But this was something much deeper. You weren't a threat now, you knew it yourself. You were in a large room surrounded by extremely fit people, and you were the only stick in the entire group. You most certainly didn't have the energy to keep up with these combatants, and you most  _ definitely  _ didn't have the guts to fight one of them. 

 

“Sorry about Natasha,” another voice piped up from behind you, “she’s always grumpy about something.”

 

Another man had sauntered over, wiping his hands on a dirty rag. He had piercing eyes and short, sandy hair. It took you another moment to realize he was the one who was sparring on the mat earlier. “Name’s Clint Barton, or Hawkeye, nice to meet ya.” He stuck out his hand and you stared at it in shock. Natasha gave a scoff and crossed her arms.

 

“Don't play nice, Barton, this isn't some sort of welcoming party.”

 

Ignoring her biting words, you latched your own hand onto his, enthusiastically shaking it. “Uh, hello! My name is, uh… Well I don't remember, but you can call me Salt.” 

 

“Hmm, Salt. That's cute. Though I think it would suit Romanoff better.” Clint cast said woman a teasing grin and she narrowed her eyes at him in response. You managed a light smile. 

 

Bruce wandered up then, joining the group. He glanced between the other Avengers, a knowing glint in his irises. You noticed it immediately.

 

Letting go of Clint’s hand, you stepped back from them, feeling your body tremble. “I really don't know how to do… Whatever it is you think I'm capable of doing.” You reasoned, trying to back out of your predicament somehow. It wasn't like it was a lie! You really didn't know! 

 

“I'll stay wherever you want me to… I'll do whatever you want! I really don't know how to fight or anything like that.”

 

The silence stretched further, and now all traces of friendliness disappeared. The group eyed your every movement. You could see the discomfort on Clint’s face. Bruce’s obvious motion of looking away from you. Tony had his arms crossed and his expression told you he wanted to say something, but didn't know how. And then, 

 

“Who said you had to fight?”

 

Natasha moved faster than you could react.With a blur of practiced motion, the woman whipped out her black gun and aimed it at you. 

 

You took in a quick breath and squeezed your eyes, covering them with your hands.

 

In that millisecond between bracing yourself and then hearing the gun go off, you felt like a coward. The fear thrummed in every vein in your body, freezing you in place and constricting your chest.  _ I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die - _ your mind screamed. You could sense your pulse pounding in your ears, the blood rushing through your body until it was reduced to a dull roar.

 

Moments passed, and you were confused. 

 

Were you dead? Had you bled out? Was it supposed to be that quick? Weren't you supposed to choke on your blood and reach out towards someone and plead with your eyes to save you-

 

“Natasha are you fucking crazy?!” Tony’s unmistakeable voice pierced the cloud of your panicked mind.

 

“Let - what are you? - get off of me, Stark!” 

 

You heard the sound of struggle and some grunts, and the sound of metal clanging on the floor. 

 

You weren't dead.

 

Holy hell, you weren't dead.

 

You spread your fingers away from your face, peeking between them hesitantly. Everything was fine, it seemed. No pain anywhere. Other than some stiffness in your body, everything was normal.

 

Well, except for the fact that you were glowing.

 

At first, you were in shock, mesmerized by the stray patterns decorating your arms. They were pulsing with an intermittent light, diamond-shaped, and pressed close - like scales. After spreading them out, you realized that it not just covered your arms, but  _ your whole body. _ A pale blue glow, like the light of dim bulb. 

 

Then you started to freak out. You took several shuddering breaths, your lungs rattling with the effort. Somebody shifted in front of you, and you reacted by flinching towards their direction.

 

Tony grunted as he was tossed more than twenty feet backwards. His body landed in a heap at some distance away. You gasped in shock and attempted to move towards him, but an urgent voice stopped you.

 

It was Bruce.

 

“Hey! Salt, listen!” The man moved into your vision holding his hands up in defense. You stopped and watched him closely, feeling the panic enclose your chest again.

 

“It's okay, can you hear me? It's okay. Nobody is going to hurt you.” 

 

In your peripheral you could see Clint helping Tony up. Other than rolling his shoulder a few times, he seemed uninjured. Distantly, you began to notice how quickly you were breathing. Bruce continued to talk to you, slowly and gently, but the words were muffled.

 

He cautiously approached, and your exhaustion caught up with you. The glow dissipated and your knees buckled. He was there to catch you, slipping his arms under your limp ones. 

 

“What the fuck were you thinking?” You heard Tony’s angry voice again, somewhere off to your left. “That isn't what we had in mind, Nat! You can't just go off and shoot somebody! Believe me, I know you're skilled when it comes to things like this, but this was totally out of line.” 

 

Natasha replied back in an indignant tone, “You heard what Fury said. We can't just play around and take things the easy way. We have to figure shit out before it takes a turn for the worse.” 

 

Tony let out a sigh, and you saw his face appear in your swimming vision. “Kid, you alright? Can you hear me?”

 

You blinked, trying to focus on something. All this spinning was making you nauseous. “It hurts.” You stated weakly.

 

Bruce furrowed his brows, resting your body on the ground while he kept your head propped up. “Where does it hurt?” 

 

You took another struggling breath, shifting your hand over your chest. Your heart palpitated. 

 

Tony's face flickered with recognition. “Aw, shit. Okay, Bruce lets take her back upstairs.” You could feel yourself being picked up and carried, the pressure underneath your legs and back distant. 

 

“I got her, I got her,” Tony grumbled to the man beside him. Another voice came up from the behind, which you recognized as Clint, “Man, Cap really isn't gonna like this…”

 

Tony didn't reply, but his face contorted in disapproval. Bruce let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head, “So much for a nice introduction…” 

 

At that point, your vision was beginning to fail you. Their words garbled into each other, too messy for you to understand. Fading in and out of the blackness, you barely registered the careful hands placing sensors on your chest, and the sound of bandages being unwound. 

 

You were once again greeted by darkness.

  
  


******

  
  


You opened your eyes to the sound of whispering. The light in the room was dimmed, so you couldn’t exactly pinpoint who it was. However, the rhythmic beeping of a familiar machine to your right told you where you were.

 

Back in your room. 

 

You let out a light groan as you attempted to shift your body. It felt like weights had been tied to your limbs. Your chest still hurt like a bitch and now there was this extra soreness to your lame leg. 

 

Wonderful.

 

The soft chatter halted at your movements. You could hear two pairs of boots head their way over to your side. To your relief, one of them was Steve.

 

“Hey, Salt, you alright?” The Captain asked in concern, his blue eyes flashing. He placed a solid hand on where your arm was under the blanket, giving it a squeeze.

 

You croaked out an answer, “... Been better.”

 

Steve chuckled at that, sliding in the chair next to your bed. You noticed that Tony took up the one on the other side of you. His dark hair was even more disheveled than usual, and there were prominent marks underneath his eyes. Despite your predicament, you felt a flash of guilt. You  _ really _ must be ruining everybody’s day.

 

“We - and by we, I mean Bruce - did extra scans on your chest. Turns out you have a heart condition. Arrhythmia. Used to have that in my… younger days.” 

 

You blinked slowly, processing his words. Steve offered you a wan smile at your blank expression. “It’s not that bad, really. You just have a heart that beats irregularly. Things like overexertion and stress can trigger attacks that might make you pass out or become fatigued.” He cleared his throat with a cough, “Considering that your heart stopped twice on the way back from the place we found you… well -”

 

“It’s a miracle you’re alive,” Tony piped up, his chin resting in his hand. “And. yeah, we kinda - sorta - rushed things a little bit too much and almost ended up killing you but - hey, what can ya do? We got orders to fulfill.”

 

Steve cast the other man a pointed look and Tony shrugged helplessly. “What? It’s true! Not my fault Nat decided to be an ass and try to shoot her - good job blocking that by the way,” he nudged your leg with his free hand, “at least we know now that you’re definitely not dangerous. Just… Defensive?”

 

Your mind tried to process all this information at once. Only now were you remembering everything that had happened back in the training facility. “What exactly… Did I do?” You asked the men hesitantly.

 

They glanced at each other, exchanging a silent conversation before turning to you. “So I’m guessing you have no idea how you did that shield thingy?” Tony raised a brow.

 

You shook your head.

 

Tony blew air out of his lips. “Well, this is a doozy.”

 

He suddenly rocketed off his chair and walked over to the other side of the room. You cast a helpless look at Steve, but he just returned it with an expression that read, ‘Just roll with it.’

 

“I’ll be in my thinking chamber,” Tony called, gathering up some metallic materials. Something dropped to the floor with a clang and he cursed. “For the love of - alright. Jarvis, have someone bring a coffee upstairs, you know how I like it.”

 

The AI confirmed the request as Tony picked up the last of some schematics. Before exiting the sliding doors, he flashed you one more goodbye wink, “I’ll be back later!” He said - and disappeared. 

 

It was quiet for a few moments. The only sound was of the machines whirring away. You leaned back against the pillows and huffed. Steve turned towards you.

 

“Salt, I wanted to tell you something,” he started, but then hesitated after meeting your gaze. “You see… I’m sure you’re even more wary of us after what’s happened in the past day, but… I guess what I’m trying to say is a bit of a stretch. Nat just acted like any assassin would, and she sometimes forgets her social skills.”

 

He gave you another one of his warm, gentle smiles, and you made a point to look away. You resisted the urge to snort. Your gut was already churning in a way you strangely didn’t mind. Who could blame you?

 

“We’ll leave you alone for a little while, try to get ahold of your condition before we make you do anything else. Is that alright with you?”

 

You forced yourself to look at him, to stare into those lovely blue eyes until you couldn’t help but blink again to break the contact. 

 

What else did you have to lose? You can’t remember anything. You can’t remember your real name. You can’t even remember what your purpose is. Sure, you might be a bit cautious with how they were acting towards you, but you held no sense of resentment towards these weird people. Your biggest fear wasn’t Natasha Romanoff, or Bruce Banner, or Clint Barton, or JARVIS, or anyone that was a part of the Avengers. 

  
  


No, you were afraid of  _ yourself. _

  
  


******

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * i'll be updating the tags and some of the chapters soon enough! i'm trying to tweak things so they make some sense~ see you guys in the next one!!


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